Most of us fear public speaking.
In fact, many people would rather handle snakes and spiders and other creepy crawlies than accept a public speaking engagement. Can you relate?
We get the fear, but here’s the thing: public speaking skills will benefit you in a range of ways. From school to work to your personal life, the ability to communicate successfully can open doors and create opportunities you never thought possible.
Fortunately, effective public speaking can be learned. In this article, we share seven public speaking tips you can use to master this skill and achieve your goals. Let’s dive in!
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Level Up Your Public Speaking Skills: 7 Tips to Help
Imagine taking the stage, feeling confident, and delivering a speech that truly engages your audience. Develop your public speaking skills and it’s totally possible!
We know what you’re thinking, “That sounds wonderful. But I don’t have time to take public speaking classes.” No worries. The tips below will help you master the art of communication.
1. Identify Your Goal
Before you speak to a live audience, take time to identify your goal. What does your presentation need to achieve? This knowledge will shape your content and delivery.
For example, you might want to educate conference attendees on a specific subject. Or convince a prospect to buy your product. Or entertain a crowd with your comedy routine.
When you know your goal, you can prioritize certain things. Speaking at an industry conference? Prioritize clarity and data. Delivering a sales presentation? Focus on the benefits of your solution and appeal to your prospect’s emotions.
We’ll share six other speaking tips with you in this article. But none of them will work very well if you don’t choose a goal for your presentation first. Don’t skip this step!
2. Know Your Audience
Next up, know your audience like the back of your hand.
Who are you speaking to? Are they industry experts, students, or potential clients? When you know the answer to this question you can tailor your message to your unique audience.
For instance, if you’re pitching to tech-savvy professionals, you can include technical data points that might confuse other people. If your audience is full of parents, focus on relatable anecdotes and practical tips to resonate on a deeper level.
Knowing what your audience cares about will help you engage them more effectively and ensure they leave with valuable insights. So, do your homework before you deliver your presentation. Then gear your content toward the specific group of people in your audience.
3. Prepare Ahead of Time
One of the best ways to ease public speaking anxiety is to prepare ahead of time. As luck would have it, this will also help you deliver a better presentation. Win!
Take time to practice public speaking. Doing so will help you familiarize yourself with your material, which will boost your confidence. Simply ask a friend or family member to listen to your speech. Or deliver your presentation to a camera. Then watch the recording and take notes.
When you know your content inside and out, you’ll be able to speak slowly, make eye contact, and display appropriate body language. These things will help you connect with your audience.
Just think about the TED Talks or conference keynotes you’ve listened to. Those speakers probably rehearsed ad nauseam to engage their listeners. You should do the same.
4. Start and Finish Strong
Humans have an eight-second attention span—less than a goldfish.
You’ve heard that statistic before, right? It’s totally incorrect, but it definitely gets people to take notice. Here’s the truth: humans can (and will!) pay attention to things for long periods of time. You just have to engage them in your material. Here are two tips to help with this:
- Start Fast: Hook your audience in the first 30 seconds of your presentation. You can do this by sharing a surprising statistic or by relating a funny and/or relatable anecdote.
- Finish Strong: End your presentation with a quick summary. Then entice each audience member to take a specific action. This will keep your speech top of mind moving forward.
The middle of your speech is important too. But if you start fast and finish strong, you’ll capture your audience’s attention and hold it—even after you’ve finished speaking.
5. Let Your Personality Show
Don’t be afraid to be yourself when you step on stage. (Or in front of the camera, if you plan to deliver your presentation via webinar software like ClickMeeting.)
If you let your personality show, it will make you more relatable to your audience. People connect with others who seem genuine. The more real you are, the more credibility you’ll gain.
Personal stories can help with this too. Share experiences that resonate with your audience and they’ll engage with your material. They’ll see you not as a speaker, but as a person with true insights. This connection will foster trust and help listeners absorb what you’re saying.
So, show your true self. It’s one of the best ways to captivate and inspire your audience.
6. Use Humor to Lighten the Mood
Laughter can relieve stress, improve moods, and even lead to long-term health benefits.
It can also engage audience members, which is why you should inject your public speaking opportunities with humor. Basically, crack a joke or two!
When you make your audience laugh, you instantly create connection. People will recall the funny quips and associate those good feelings with your message. It can also help simplify difficult topics by helping viewers remember key points they would have otherwise forgotten.
In short, humor turns a typical presentation into a memorable experience.
7. Use Visual Aids When Possible
Last but not least, give your audience something to look at during your presentation.
Visual aids help simplify complex information and keep audience members engaged. Plus, studies show that people retain 65% of information when paired with relevant visuals, compared to just 10% without them. If you want your audience to remember your key points, use slides, charts, and/or videos. This will make your speech more memorable and professional.
Visuals also cater to different learning styles. Some people absorb information better through images than words. As such, visuals can enhance the overall experience.
The Importance of Communication Skills
You might have a fear of public speaking, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect this skill.
Once you learn to communicate your thoughts and ideas effectively, you’ll enjoy more opportunities. This is true in both your professional and personal life.
For example, strong communication skills can help you negotiate a higher salary or impress potential employers during the interview process. In your personal life, effective communication can help avoid misunderstandings with other people and strengthen your relationships.
In today’s fast-paced world, you need to communicate well. So don’t shy away from opportunities to improve your communication skills. With practice and the public speaking tips above, you’ll be on your way to becoming a confident and engaging speaker.
Become a Seasoned Public Speaker Today!
You can become a talented public speaker. You just need to commit to the craft and develop your skills. The tips we shared in this article will help you get started on the right foot.
Looking for a reliable platform to practice your public speaking skills? Perhaps you need a tool to deliver live presentations to your audience. Either way, ClickMeeting is the answer.
ClickMeeting is used by tens of thousands of people. Why? Because it’s intuitive and super powerful. With it, you’ll be able to host webinars, mega online events, and private meetings.
Whatever your needs, ClickMeeting will give you access to must-have features like custom branding, screen sharing, collaborative whiteboards, polls and surveys, moderated and private chat, social media streaming, event recording, and even audience statistics data.
So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of ClickMeeting now to get started!
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